Mobile applications for ophthalmology: a quantitative and qualitative analysis.

IF 3.3 3区医学 Q2 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

BMC Health Services Research Pub Date : 2026-07-23 DOI:10.1186/s12913-026-15199-2

Shahla Faramarzi, Kosar Ghaddaripouri, Parmida Sanaei, Zahra Zare, Azita Yazdani

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of ophthalmology-related mobile health applications (mHealth apps) available in Persian and English across Android and iOS platforms.

Method: A structured review of apps related to ophthalmology was conducted in four mobile app stores (Cafe Bazaar, Google Play, App Store, Myket) from July 31 to August 15, 2024, using relevant English and Persian keywords. The quality of selected apps was independently assessed by three reviewers using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Clinical evidence was also searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Result: Out of 4,968 ophthalmology-related apps initially identified, 37 apps met the inclusion criteria for final quality assessment-4 in Persian and 33 in English. According to the MARS scale, the Functionality domain had the highest average score (4.24), followed by Aesthetics (3.70), Engagement (3.22), and Information (3.13). Clinical effectiveness evidence was found for the "WHO eyes" app. The Persian app "چشم یار" achieved the highest average score of 4.42, and the English app "Eye Patient" received the highest average score of 4.83.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the quality of ophthalmology-related apps meets acceptable criteria according to the MARS scale; however, user engagement and the quality of the information provided remain suboptimal. These results highlight the need for improving interactive features, motivational design elements, and evidence-based educational content to enhance the overall effectiveness of ophthalmology-related mHealth apps.

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眼科的移动应用：定量和定性分析。

目的：本研究旨在评估Android和iOS平台上波斯语和英语的眼科相关移动健康应用程序（移动健康应用程序）的质量。方法：对2024年7月31日至8月15日期间在4家移动应用商店（Cafe Bazaar、谷歌Play、app Store、Myket）中使用相关英文和波斯语关键词的眼科相关应用进行结构化分析。所选应用程序的质量由三位评论者使用移动应用程序评级量表（MARS）独立评估。临床证据也在PubMed、Scopus和b谷歌Scholar中进行了检索。结果：在最初确定的4968个与眼科相关的应用程序中，37个应用程序符合最终质量评估的纳入标准，其中4个为波斯语，33个为英语。根据MARS量表，功能领域的平均得分最高（4.24），其次是美学（3.70），参与度（3.22）和信息（3.13）。“世卫组织眼睛”应用程序获得了临床有效性证据。波斯语应用程序“چشم یار”获得了4.42分的最高平均分数，英语应用程序“Eye Patient”获得了4.83分的最高平均分数。结论：本研究表明，根据MARS量表，眼科相关应用程序的质量达到可接受标准；然而，用户粘性和所提供信息的质量仍然不够理想。这些结果强调需要改进交互功能、激励设计元素和基于证据的教育内容，以提高眼科相关移动健康应用程序的整体有效性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMC Health Services Research 医学-卫生保健

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

7.10%

发文量

1372

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： BMC Health Services Research is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of health services research, including delivery of care, management of health services, assessment of healthcare needs, measurement of outcomes, allocation of healthcare resources, evaluation of different health markets and health services organizations, international comparative analysis of health systems, health economics and the impact of health policies and regulations.